Alessandbo oapea and giovanni battista eissone



(No Model.)

A. OAPRA & G. B. RISSONE.

AUTOMATIC CYLINDER PIANO.

N0.88 1,121. Patented June 5, 1888.

Mm 1| W1 w g Q Q 4o render it more effective.

ALESSANDRO CAPE-A AND GIOVANNI BATTIS'IA RISSOIIE, OF GLERKEN- WELL, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND; SAID (JAPRA ASSIGNOR TO SAID RISSONE.

AUTQMATEC CYLlNDER PlANQ.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,121, dated June 5, 1888. Application tiled March 7, 1888. Serial No. 266,454. (No model.) Patented in England February 4, 1884, No.2,702,

5 of Middlesex, England, mechanical piano manufacturers, subjects of the King of Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cylinder-Pianos, (for which we have received Letters Patent in Great Britain,

1 No. 2,702, dated February 4, 1884,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic or self-aeting eylii'ider-pianos; and it consists in an improved method of arranging 1 and combining the spring-barrel or actuating mechanism with the pin barrel or cylinder (on which the tunes are arranged) to act upon the mechanism and hammers which strike the strings of the instrument, and to an improved 26 method of regulating the speed of such actuating mechanism. Iieretot'ore the spring-barrel and mechanism combined therewith have been arranged at the end or in a line with the cylinder or piirbarrel, thereby occupying con siderable space in the direction of the length of the case of the m nsical instrument or piano, and rendering it almost compulsory to employ a comparatively short cylinder,and thus limiting the effective musical power of the instru- 3O ment.

Now, according to our improvements, we mount or arrange the spring-barrel and actu ating. mechanism below the cylinder or pinbarrel, which can thus be made to correspond 5 in length with the length of the key-board or series of notes comprising the automatic piano. The space hitherto occupied by the spring-barrel and actuating mechanism is thus utilized to increase the range of the instrument and The handle at the front for playing the instrument is dispensed with, and a better tone is also produced. The actnatiir mechanism so arranged as to be capable of adjustment in order to drive the cylinder or pin-barrel at different rates of speed to suit the music being played.

In order that our improvements may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice, we will proceed to describe the draw ings hereto annexed.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is an end elevation of our improved automatic cylinder-piano, showing the driving mechanism in position with regard to the pin-barrel. Fig. 2 is a front view of the driving mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end view of the mechanism we employ for driving the pinbarrel at different speeds, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the pitch-lines of the gearing of the driving mechanism.

a a is the case of the instrument, and I) is the pin-barrel. These are arranged in the manner usual in automatic pianos.

In order to give the requisite motion to the pin-barrel b, we make use of the following meclr anism: c is a strong spring-barrel, which, by means of a cord or chain and the usual train of wheels, gives motion to a shaft, 11, on which is a pinion, c, the teeth of which gear with a ring of teeth, f, on the end of the pin-barrel b. By arranging the parts in the manner shown, the pin-barrel b can be made much longer than usual,thus giving the instrument greater range of compass,

In order to drive the pin barrel I) at different speeds to suit the music being played, we make use of the following parts: 9 is a shaft projecting through the end of the case of the instrument and having fixed on it a handle, 9. The opposite end of the shaft 1 carries a disk, y on which is a pin, which is received in the fork of a forked lever, It. The lever h is pinjointed to the bar t, to the underside of which is secured a spring-blade, 1', having at its end a pad of soft material, which is pressed by the spring against the surface of a roller, 7;, carried by the axis of the flyj, which is driven by the usual train of gear, and in order to prevent noise we find it advz'intageous to make the wheel (marked .2) of some material other than metal, and for this purpose ebonite or some like material answers well.

When it is desired that the music shall be played slowly, the pad carried by the springblade i is caused (by turning the handle g in one direction) to exert a greater pressure on the roller 7c, thus retarding the axis of the fly j. On the other hand,when the music requires to be played quickly, by turning the handle 9 in the opposite direction the roller 70 is relieved from the pressure of the pad carried by the spring 2" and the whole power of the mechanism is utilized in driving the instrument. The spring-blade i is capable of exerting sufficient pressure on the roller k to stop theinstrument entirely, or the bar i might carry a stop to come against a pin carried by the roller 75. By these means a great range of speed is given to the instrument, thus enabling all classes of music being properly and effectively played, a condition hitherto unattainable in musical instruments of this class.

Having thus described the nature of our invention and the manner of performingor carrying the same into practice, we would have it understood that we make no claim to the application of self-acting mechanism consisting of the spring-barrel c and pin-barrel b to antomatic cylinder-pianos, neither do we claim any of the parts separately, which are Well known and in common use; but

What we claim is- In automatic cylinder-pianos, the actuating mechanism consisting of the spring-barrel c, with train of wheels and speed-regulating device g g g g h i i j, and wheel 2, combined with and mounted below the pi n-barrel 1), substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

ALESSANDRO CAPRA. GIOVANNI BATTISTA RISSONE.

Witnesses:

H. BERKBEOK,

34 Southampton Buildings, London. WALTER J. SKERTEN,

17 Graceclzurch Street, London, E. G. 

